This Day In Wrestling History – July 9th

Happy birthday to Kevin Nash!

1963 – Bobo Brazil defeats Johnny Barend, to win the WWWF United States Championship.  Elsewhere, The Crusher defeats Verne Gagne, to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.

1975 – Danny Hodge & Jay Clayton defeat Stan Hansen & Frank Goodish, to win the NWA (Tri-State) United States Tag Team Championship.

1979 – Angelo Mosca defeats Mike Sharpe, Jr., to win the NWA (Tri-State) Brass Knuckles Championship.

1985 – The Rock N Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) defeat Ivan Koloff & Krusher Krushchev, to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship for the first time.

1986 – At a live event in Sydney, Australia, The Fabulous Moolah defeats Velvet McIntyre, to win the WWF Women’s Championship.

2000 – WCW’s final Bash at the Beach is held in Daytona Beach, FL in front of 6,572 fans.  The event was also Hollywood Hulk Hogan’s final appearance in World Championship Wrestling.

– Lt. Loco defeats Juventud Guerrera, to retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
– In a Handicap match, Big Vito defeats Norman Smiley and Ralphus, to retain the WCW Hardcore Championship.
– Daffney (with Crowbar) defeats Miss Hancock (with David Flair), in an Evening Gown Match.
– KroniK (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) defeat The Perfect Event (Shawn Stasiak & Chuck Palumbo), to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
– Chris Kanyon defeats Booker T.
– In a match for the United States Championship, Mike Awesome defeats US Champion Scott Steiner (with Midajah), via disqualification;  Steiner was disqualified after using the Steiner Recliner, which had been banned.  Commissioner Ernest Miller strips Steiner of the United States Title after the match.
– Vampiro defeats The Demon in a Graveyard Match, when Demon does not show up to the ring.
– Shane Douglas defeats Buff Bagwell.
– Hollywood Hulk Hogan defeats Jeff Jarrett, to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.  Hogan had refused to “job” to Jarrett, so Vince Russo had ordered Jarrett to lie down for Hogan.  After scoring the pinfall with his foot on Jarrett’s chest, Hogan called out Russo for his poor booking decisions, and then proceeded to leave with the championship.  Russo would reverse the pinfall decision (making Jarrett champion again), and announce to the crowd that Hogan was fired.  Hogan’s “win” is not recognized by either WCW or WWE.
– With Scott Hall’s contract on the line, Goldberg defeats Kevin Nash.  As a result, Hall is banned from WCW.
– Booker T defeats Jeff Jarrett, to become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion.  The match was not originally booked.  But after what happened with Hollywood Hogan, Vince Russo decided to reward Booker T with a title shot for “busting his ass for WCW for the past 14 years.”

2001 – On RAW, The APA (Faarooq & Bradshaw) defeat The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von), to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.

2004 – Black Warrior, El Canek, & Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeat Black Tiger III, Dr. Wagner Jr., & Universo 2000, to win the CMLL World Trios Championship.

2005 – The Carnage Crew (HC Loc & Tony Devito) defeat BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs, to win the ROH Tag Team Championship.  Elsewhere, The Tough Crazy Bastards (Necro Butcher & Toby Klein) defeat The H8 Club (Justice Pain & Nick Gage), to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship.

2006 – In a six-way match, Ruckus defeats Chris Sabin (MCW Cruiserweight Champion), Derek Frazier, Jerry Lynn, Steve Anthony, and Petey Williams, to win the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup Tournament AND become the new MCW Cruiserweight Champion.

2009 – On Impact!, Tara defeats Angelina Love, to win the TNA Women’s Knockouts Championship.

2011 – At Combat Zone Wrestling’s New Heights event, Jake Crist defeats A.R. Fox, to win the CZW Wired Championship.  Also, in a Gusset Plate Deathmatch, Masada defeats Danny Havoc, to win the CZW Ultraviolent Championship.  Masada is the final champion, as the Ultraviolent Championship would be unified with the CZW World Heavyweight Championship, in May 2012.

2012 – Monday Night RAW returns to the Pepsi Center in Denver for the first time since May 26, 2008.  The arena had hosted three WWE house shows in between, but had not hosted a televised RAW or SmackDown, due to a double-booking controversy involving the Denver Nuggets, in May 2009.

2016 – Brock Lesnar defeats Mark Hunt via unanimous decision, at UFC 200.  It was Lesnar’s first UFC fight since UFC 141 in December 2011.  Lesnar’s win over Hunt is short-lived, after Lesnar tests positive for a banned substance.  His win over Mark Hunt is reversed to a no-contest.

2017 – WWE Great Balls of Fire, a RAW-exclusive pay-per-view is held in Dallas, in front of 16,579 fans.

Pre-Show:  Neville defeats Akira Tozawa (with Titus O’Neil), to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:  3-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time Tag Team Champion, Shelton Benjamin (43 years old);  former WWF Intercontinental Champion & 3-time WCW Television Champion, Marc Mero aka Johnny B. Badd (58 years old);  former WCW & ECW wrestler, P.N. News (52 years old); former AAA World Mini-Estrella Champion, Mini Charly Manson (31 years old);  and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash (59 years old).